Violence Policy Center Statement on White House Conference on School Safety: �The Bush Administration is in Denial Regarding the Role Guns Play in School Shootings�

WASHINGTON, D.C.� Regarding today�s Conference on School Safety convened by the White House in response to unrelenting firearms violence in America�s schools, Violence Policy Center Legislative Director Kristen Rand released the following statement:

�The fact that guns are not on today�s agenda only confirms what was already obvious: The Bush Administration is in complete denial regarding the catalytic role that guns play in school violence. How is it even possible to have a discussion about preventing school shootings without talking about guns?

Other industrialized nations�such as Great Britain�that have experienced horrific school shootings have honed in on the availability of guns and implemented meaningful gun control policies. Those policies have worked to stop school shootings. But the Bush Administration continues to allow the gun lobby to extract its �price of freedom� for unfettered access to firearms: an endless string of bloody school shootings. Today�s conference will, unfortunately, do little to prevent more violence.�

The Violence Policy Center is a national non-profit educational foundation that conducts research on violence in America and works to develop violence-reduction policies and proposals. The Center examines the role of firearms in America, conducts research on firearms violence, and explores new ways to decrease firearm-related death and injury.